Starkville, Miss. – The Furman softball team posted a pair of victories during day two of the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday after defeating the Alcorn State Lady Braves and Mississippi State Bulldogs at Nusz Park.
Furman improves to 9-8 overall while Alcorn State dropped to 7-12 and Mississippi State 13-8. The win over the Bulldogs was the Paladins' first over an SEC program since defeating South Carolina 8-6 on March 13, 2013.
Furman began the day with a 9-4 victory over the Lady Braves and followed with a 3-1 triumph over Mississippi State.
Game 1 – Furman 9, Alcorn State 4
Natalie Morgan and
Hana Suniga combined for seven RBI as the Paladins broke a 4-4 tie with five runs in the top of seventh to win 9-4 over Alcorn State.
Isabella Cear (1-0) earned her first collegiate victory in the circle after pitching three innings of relief and gave up one run on one hit, one walk and one strikeout. Lexi Veamoi (1-4) took the loss allowing one run on three hits, one walk and one strikeout in two relief innings. Furman starter
Shelby Maier threw four innings and gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
The Lady Braves struck for three runs in the bottom of the second before Furman answered back with four consecutive runs after scoring three in the fourth and one in the fifth. Morgan highlighted the three-run fourth with her two RBI triple to right field while
Alex Rose Molinar began the scoring on her RBI sacrifice fly to left field.
Emily Bartlett gave the Paladins a 4-3 lead on her team leading third home of the season to start the top of the fifth.
Alcorn State tied the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Kelsey Lockridge plated Tyesha Cole on her RBI single.
Suniga gave Furman the lead for good after beginning the scoring in the seventh with her three-run home run to left field and put it in front 7-4. Morgan extended the Paladins' lead to 9-4 four batters later following her two RBI single to center field.
Morgan finished the game 2-for-4 with four RBI and Suniga added a three RBI performance.
Ashlee Lykins led Furman with three hits and scored two runs.
Chloe Fabio went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Lockridge paced the Lady Braves offensively going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored.
Game 2 – Furman 3, Mississippi State 1
Sierra Tufts totaled her team leading fourth complete game of the season and
Marina Griffin provided a game high two RBI to lift the Paladins to a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Tufts (5-3) limited Mississippi State to one run on four hits, four walks and two strikeouts to collect the win in the circle. Aspen Wesley (4-2) suffered the loss after surrendering three runs on four hits, one walk and four strikeouts in three innings pitched.
Riley Ludlam gave Furman the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when she drove in Lykins on an RBI sacrifice fly to center field.
The Bulldogs responded in their half of the first and tied the game at 1-1 when Madisyn Kennedy brought home Riley Hull with her RBI single to center field.
The first two Paladin batters were retired to start the top of the third before Bartlett reached on a hit by pitch and went to third on Ludlam's double to left field. Griffin delivered the go-ahead hit on a 3-1 count that scored both Bartlett and Ludlam.
Tufts avoided a jam in the bottom of the fifth when Mississippi State had runners on second and third with one out after Hull singled and Mia Davidson doubled to center field. The sophomore from Chula Vista, Calif. kept the Bulldogs off the board by getting a pair of ground outs and maintained Furman's two-run lead.
Tufts recorded back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh to end the game retiring the final eight batters she faced.
Five different Paladins recorded one hit while Griffin had two RBI and Ludlam one.
Kennedy went 1-for-3 with one RBI for Mississippi State.
Up Next
Furman closes out play at the Bulldog Invitational on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. against Jacksonville State.
